Train 18's Delhi-Varanasi AC chair car, executive class tickets to cost THIS much

Train 18 or Vande Bharat Express's air conditioned chair car ticket is likely to cost Rs 1,850 while the executive class fare will be Rs 3,520 for a Delhi to Varanasi trip, including the catering service charges, officials told reporters on Monday. On its return journey, the chair car ticket will cost Rs 1,795 and the executive car ticket will be priced at Rs 3,470, the officials added.

While the chair car fares are 1.5 times the price of Shatabdi trains running the same distance, the executive class fares are 1.4 times of first class air conditioned seating in the premium train, the official sources said.

The semi-high speed train, which is set to run at a maximum speed of 160 km per hour, is scheduled to be flagged off by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on February 15. The train has two classes of tickets - executive class and chair car - and will have differently priced meals, the sources said.

While passengers travelling from New Delhi to Varanasi in the executive class will be charged Rs 399 for morning tea, breakfast and lunch, travellers in the chair car will need to pay Rs 344 for the same.

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Those travelling from New Delhi to Kanpur and Prayagraj will have to pay Rs 155 and Rs 122 for executive class and chair car, respectively. From Varanasi to New Delhi, the passengers will be charged Rs 349 and Rs 288 in the executive class and chair, respectively.

The 16-coach train, built in 18 months at a cost of Rs 97 crore by the Modern Coach Factory, Rae Bareli, in 18 months, is regarded as a successor to the 30-year-old Shatabdi Express. It is also the first locomotive-less train in the country, made under the government's Make in India project. The fully air-conditioned train will stop at Kanpur and Allahabad in between.

The gleaming, blue-nosed train comes fitted with amenities on a par with the best in the world - on-board Wi-Fi, GPS-based passenger information system, touch-free bio-vacuum toilets, LED lighting, mobile charging points, and a climate control system that adjusts the temperature according to occupancy and weather.

(With inputs from agencies)